The Creation of a Series - Characters

I am not a big fan of flawless characters. I personally don’t know anyone in real life who’s flawless. While I do read to escape, I need to connect with my characters. It is one of the things I keep in mind with each and every character I write. 

Even the billionaire alpha-hole needs a flaw.  As the characters come alive on the page, I have detailed character sketches I keep updated. This helps in so many ways. It usually starts with finding a picture that closely resembles how I see the character. This way, anytime I reference hair color, eye color, height, it’s there. 

The character sheet has several questions that help get into the character's head. How does the character relate to their family, deal with high-stress situations, or life’s aspirations? Are they so set in their ways that it is impossible for them to compromise?

For example, Ryan Weston, the foreman at the Ridge Ranch, was so convinced that there was no way someone could love him with how little he had to offer. He was happy being a simple cowboy and running someone else’s ranch. He saw Heather as a threat to his simple life, but when she didn't back down, she was able to break through his boundaries. 

A novel I’m currently working on shows the character struggling with PTSD. He’s able to help her even though what they lived through was so different. I love watching characters come together and have a happily ever after, even fighting with their anxieties, their insecurities, and challenges. 

What are your favorite flaws?

Writing an Outlaw Hero ~ Julie Lence

Pinterest

    I began my career of writing western romance many years ago. The first book I wrote (and had published) was Luck of the Draw. The heroine in the story is Paige. Throughout the story, Paige believes her sister is dead, but has the shock of her life when Missy shows up on her doorstep. Very much alive, Missy has spent two summers searching for Paige, and as I developed Missy’s character, I realized that she needed help finding Paige, and who better to help her than an outlaw. Buck Grayson was so much fun to write, because in this story, and again when he appears in Lady Luck, unlike the hero, he is free to act and speak in the unruly and crude manner most of us depict an outlaw.  As Lady Luck came to an end, I had an inkling in the back of my mind that Buck needed his own story. It wasn’t until a few years later when I decided to create a new series that I went back to Buck, but as I honed in on the fictional town of Revolving Point that I created in Luck of the Draw, I kept wondering if Buck was hero material.
        In Luck of the Draw and Lady Luck, Buck is hard and unyielding. He’s temperamental, deadly accurate with a gun, and speaks without thinking, not caring who he offends. He trusts no one. Even worse, he likes no one… except Missy… and Suzanna, one of the girls who works for Missy.  Aha! Somewhere deep inside, Buck did have heart and soul. The all important questions I had to deduce is why did Buck abandon the good inside of him, and could Suzanna soften him enough to make readers warm up to him?  
        As in most movies, television shows, and books, there’s a reason why the villain is cold-hearted. Buck was no exception, so I sat down and slowly started to unravel him by asking him easy questions; where did you grow up? Do you have siblings? Do you dress in black because that’s your favorite color? As he answered, he began to open up more about himself, how he had sisters and adored them… how his parents were honest, hard-working people… the awful afternoon when his world shattered… how something inside took a shine to Missy, and not in a romantic way… how Suzanna wormed her way inside his heart with her outrageous flirting… how she became more important to him than his own life… And luckily, I was able to convey his goodness and weaknesses to the reader, but I wasn’t done. I had two more stories in that series to write, and again I had to sit down and dig deep in to Roth’s background and into Gage’s background, find out what made them tick, why they chose to strap on a gun, too. For some reason, Roth wanted to open right away and let me know he’d do anything for his sister. Gage took a bit of persuasion, most likely because he didn’t want to live his life in a prison cell for something he didn’t do, disappointing his family and the woman he loved.
      The more I learned about my outlaws, the more I realized that circumstances beyond their control forced each of them into a life of crime, a life they never would have chosen. But, as rough and ruthless as they were on the outside, the softer they were on the inside, and the love of a good woman didn’t necessarily change them. Rather it soothed an ache deep inside because someone actually took the time to understand the bad and accept it, to care.

Revolving Point, Texas is my 2^nd series and you can find each book on Amazon. Just follow the links below.

Zanna’s Outlaw https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006XJWW08

Lydia’s Gunslinger https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007873DIE

Debra’s Bandit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0095IG390 

The Making of a Good Villain ~ Julie Lence

courtesy Lara Williard

  In writing romance, some stories deserve a good villain. Developing such a character sometimes proves easier and more fun than creating the hero and heroine. A villain has a lot more leeway on what he can say or do. He’s the one person you enjoy hating, (think of J.R. Ewing), or even cheer for. Heroes and heroines have to be likeable and cannot commit too many dastardly deeds without good reason (think Bobby Ewing). But what drives a villain? And does a villain have to be a person?

 As I do when creating my heroes and heroines, I sit down at my computer and imagine my villain’s appearance. Does he have dark hair? Or he is blond? What color are his eyes? Does he have any visible scars? Is he tall? Is he physically strong? And more importantly, how did he arrive at the point of his life where the story begins?

  One of the best villains I created was Lady Luck’s William Larsen. Driven by money and comfort, William was evil to the bone and didn’t care who he killed or hurt just as long as he was the victor in any given situation. He wasn’t a big man, appeared to be a weakling by the henchmen he kept in his employ and the bodyguards who shadowed him, and if you ask the women he kept time with, most would say he wasn’t handsome; their only reasons for being his mistress either his money or fear. As I delved deeper into William’s psyche, because, after all, what makes a man that money hungry and evil, I learned his was not a happy, or normal, childhood. He was an orphan, living along the docks on the east coast, pilfering what little food and clothes he could, taking shelter in one shack after another, fear and human instinct to survive pulsing through him. As he matured, it was the fear of losing what little he’d scrappled to gain and forever living in poverty that kept him chained to darkness; a man who was unwilling to trade his ill-found wealth for honor, friendship, and even love.  

Where William is a villain in the form of a person, can there be another form of a villain? One where the author doesn’t imagine hair color or physique but rather something below the surface that can’t be seen with the naked eye? There is and Hunter Barlow knows this villain well. The son of a madam who viewed him as nothing more than a nuisance and brothers who deserted him, one could make the assumption that Hunter’s mother and brothers are the villains in his story, but in truth, Hunter’s emotional turmoil is the antagonist to his protagonist.  Betrayal and heartache are what he has to acknowledge and defeat, not a face determined to see him penniless or dead, and sometimes it’s those battles that fester deep within that are much harder to defeat than an evil man.

Whether a person or an emotion, delve as deep as you can into your villain. Find out the reason for such evilness or for a deep-rooted fear of never being loved. I guarantee your snooping will lead you to places you never imagined, and make your story that much better. And your hero will thank you for it.     

 

 

World Building

World Building. Creating the environment where your characters live and breathe. Where to begin? How to expand into a series? For some, creating a world is easy. A picture or personal experience spark a scene that broadens into a setting. Others struggle for just that initial spark. But creating a world doesn’t have to be stressful. It’s actually fun, and can take you on a journey you never imagined. Here’s a glimpse of how I developed fictional Revolving Point, Texas.

Notorious outlaw Buck Grayson opens the series. Originally a secondary character in 2 earlier novels, I never envisioned Buck having his own story until he returned to San Francisco at the end of Lady Luck for one specific reason-Suzanna. Questions pricked the back of my mind as to why a man who prefers his own company would seek out a soiled dove whose sass rattles him. Does he have feelings for her? Does she return his feelings and welcome him? Or does she send him away? If she welcomes him, what type of life will they have? And where will they live? They can’t stay at the parlor house where Suzanna works. It’s been sold. And do I really think Suzanna is heroine material? Maybe there’s someone better for Buck.

The more I obsessed over another heroine for Buck, (actually it was her name I wasn’t sold on) the more I delved into his background and his reason for becoming an outlaw. I finally realized Suzanna truly was the only woman for him. (And she could have a nickname.) She’s disturbed him in ways he thought dead and buried. Roused to the surface an emotion he refuses to acknowledge, but before I could press on with a setting, I had to delve deeper into Buck and Suzanna, figure out their fears and how those fears would eventually loosen the words lodged in Buck’s throat.      

Unraveling a partial plot came easy once I knew my characters. Where to set them was a bit more difficult. The story opens with Buck in prison. I had an actual jail in mind, but research proved that jail was not workable with the timeframe of the story. After more research, I happened upon a prison in Texas that fit perfectly with fictional Revolving Point. In Luck of the Draw, I described the town as having a reputation to rival Buck’s and left the layout and décor to the reader’s mind. But now I needed something more solid.

My actual map

Prior to the opening of the series, a fire swept through Revolving Point, destroying several businesses and homes. Most people fled with only the clothes on their backs. Who remained? And what did the town look like after the fire? I drew an outline of Revolving Point’s main street, with labeled boxes representing the businesses needed for the story and blank areas along the boardwalk where buildings once stood. From there I added side roads and alleyways connecting to the next street over; a tree-lined lane flanked with mostly empty homes. The back yards to the houses along the west side of the street led to an open grassy area and the banks to the Rio Grande; a landscape used throughout the series.

Having a layout of the town helped greatly when it came to plotting Buck’s route when prowling the streets. The reader knew exactly where he was because I was able to stay true to his surroundings with the map I created. The outline was also detrimental when it came to writing the other stories in the series.  Incorporating new characters and where they lived and worked filled in empty boxes and brought Revolving Point to life. From there, I spread east and north to accommodate happy-ever-after endings, filled some of the empty houses with secondary characters, and forged a path deeper into Texas to create a new series. When Revolving Point was originally birthed, I never imagined my sinful little town would become home to future characters; characters who are near and dear to my heart.

Revolving Point, Texas Series:

Zanna’s Outlaw www.amazon.com/dp/B006XJWW08

Lydia’s Gunslinger www.amazon.com/dp/B007873DIE

Debra’s Bandit www.amazon.com/dp/B0095IG390

Be Mine, Valentine www.amazon.com/dp/B01ATV4510

Character Interview with Roth Beaumont

Lydia’s Gunslinger is the 2^nd book in my Revolving Point, Texas Series. Roth was such a fun hero to write. He has his own sense of humor, is tough on the outside and a big, ole teddy bear on the inside. A while back, Roth was interviewed on the Wild Women Authors blog. He proved such a charming scamp, I thought I’d share with you here:  

Where are you from? St. Louis

Tell us a bit about Lydia’s Gunslinger: I grew up in an orphanage. The headmaster enjoyed tormenting boys, and whipped me on a few occasions. When I was old enough, I ran away, leaving my sister behind. I had no money, so I fell in with a band of outlaws. Made a name for myself robbing banks and payrolls. Outlaws don’t really have friends, but there was one person I could somewhat trust, Gage Cantrell. He helped me steal my sister away from the orphanage. I left her in Tucson after Gage and me pulled another heist and then split up, because a posse was after us. That’s when I met up with Percy, a miserable lout, and rode with him to Revolving Point. Situated on the Rio Grande, that town has a reputation worse than any outlaw. Rumors along the trail said Revolving Point nearly burned down, and the worst of the outlaws now made it his home. Percy had to find out for sure, and as luck would have it, Buck Grayson was there. Bastard that he is, Grayson forced me to pin on a badge and help him keep law and order. If I didn’t, he promised to send me to The Walls. His method for keeping me in line is my sister. Debra was injured and Grayson brought her to Revolving Point to heal. Now, he’s forced me to greet the orphanage lady, Lydia Tyler.

(Ryland Park.org) Lydia's orphanage

Lydia took me to task the moment we met. Trouble is, I like that. And the spark of defiance in her eyes. But Lydia’s a society lady and has troubles of her own, namely in the form of the man her pa hired as headmaster of her orphanage. A woman like her probably doesn’t want anything to do with me, or my guns, which she detests. But she keeps company with me, hints at a bit of larceny in her bones. With or without her say-so, I’m gonna rid her of her troubles.  

    

What did you think the first time you saw Lydia? That she’s a pretty, little spitfire, with hair as black as coal, eyes like a cat, and a temper to match mine.  

What was your second thought? That I was gonna get even with Grayson for setting her in my path. 

 

Did you feel it was love at first sight? Lust is more like it. Love didn’t come along until a few days later. 

What do you like most about Lydia? Her sass, the way she fusses over me and how she doesn’t try to change me. 

How would you describe Lydia? Lydia is pretty inside and out. She has a good heart and protects her orphans as fiercely as a mama bear guards her cubs. She’s loyal, outspoken and generous to a fault.  

How would Lydia describe you? Over-bearing, temperamental, crude, crazy, a menace… and those are my good qualities. 

What made you choose outlawing as a career? Didn’t have a choice, seeing how I had no skills or money. It was either steal and eat or starve and die.

What is your biggest fear? Losing Lydia, in any way. 

   

How do you relax? I don’t. If you had enemies like mine, you wouldn’t, either. 

Who is your favorite fictional character and why? I don’t have one. I’m not one for reading, unless it’s a Wanted poster. 

What is the best piece of advice you ever received? Don’t wear spurs. They make too much noise.

Lydia’s Gunslinger is available here:

www.amazon.com/dp/B007873DIE

Revolving Point, Texas Series: (Available only at Amazon; www.amazon.com/author/julielence)

Zanna’s Outlaw

Lydia’s Gunslinger

Debra’s Bandit

Be Mine, Valentine (short story)

Welcome to the Zoo

A new western television series starring Pierce Bronson aired in April. The kiddo wanted to watch the 2-hour premiere, so I watched with him, and lost interest after the 1^st hour. I didn’t like the characters and I especially didn’t like the blood, guts and gore. But within that 1^st hour, a line struck me as odd. Brosnan’s character goes back and forth from 80-year old Eli to teen Eli kidnapped by a native tribe. The kidnapping scene begins with Eli and his brother and sister helping their mother set the table for dinner. They live out in the middle of nowhere, and as all siblings do, the three were bantering harmlessly when the brother asks Eli if he was raised in a zoo. I’ve heard the expressions born or raised in a barn, but never a zoo, which got me to thinking. Did the United States even have a zoo in 1849? If so, where? And how would a child living in the vast western part of the U.S. learn of such an establishment?

Grey Wolf

The Philadelphia Zoo was the first zoo in the United States. Situated along the western bank of the Schuylkill River and chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, opening day was July 1, 1874, delayed from March 1859 due to the start of the Civil War. The cost to see the 1,000 animals on display was 25 cents. The zoo was enclosed by a stone wall. Animals were housed behind picket fences, to include buffalo, deer, wolves, foxes, bears, monkeys, reptiles and an Indian elephant. Birds were another attraction, as were goat cart rides. A carriage house to stable horses bringing visitors to the grounds sat near the entrance. Briefly, the zoo was home to animals brought over on safari for the Smithsonian Museum, which had not yet built the National Zoo. The zoo itself, the façade columns of the original stone walls, wrought iron fence entryway and the carriage house are still in existence today.  

Grizzly Bear

The oldest zoo west of the Mississippi River is the Oregon Zoo. The Oregon Zoo is in Portland and was founded in 1888 with two bears owned by Richard Knight. Originally from England, Knight was a seaman turned pharmacist. He opened his pharmacy along the Williamette River and began collecting animals from his sailor friends, to include parakeets, monkeys and other small animals. He kept those animals in the back of his drug store and staked two bears in the vacant lot next to him. When the care and feeding of the animals became too much, Knight tried to sell the bears to the city. City officials wouldn’t buy them. Instead, they gave Knight two circus cages and let him display the brown bear and the grizzly bear in City Park, now Washington Park. Knight still had to take care of the bears, and five months later, he offered to donate the bears to the city. City council accepted this offer, to include the cages, and this became the official start to the Oregon Zoo, with Charles Myers as the first zookeeper. Today the zoo is owned by the Regional Metro government.

The Philadelphia Zoo and the Oregon Zoo were founded many years after Brosnan’s character was kidnapped by Native Americans. To answer my question of how he would’ve known about a zoo, I dug further and found teachers back in that timeframe were required to pass a lengthy exam before they were allowed to teach. They had to be knowledgeable in a variety of subjects, to include history. And the history of the zoo is lengthy, dating back to 2400 B.C. when Shulgi ruled Ur, in what is present day South-East Iraq. Though not a zoo of modern standards, Shulgi is the first person known to house a collection of animals. The first zoo by modern standards was established by Queen Hatshepsut in 1500 B.C in Egypt. The queen collected animals from all parts of Africa. Later, Chinese Emperor Wen Wang built his own zoo to highlight his wealth and power. Wang’s zoo was named Garden of Intelligence, occupied 1,500 acres, and included animals from all over his empire. After him, Vienna Emperor Franz Josef built a zoo for his wife in 1752. This is oldest zoo in existence today and was originally built as an imperial menagerie.      

The world’s first scientific zoo is the London Zoo. Opened on April 27, 1858, animals from the Tower of London’s menagerie were transferred there in 1832. King John kept an assortment of animals, to include elephants, tigers and kangaroos, at the Tower for entertainment and curiosity. Later, the animals were used in deadly games of sport. A wider variety of animals were housed in later years, but after incidents where some got free and attacked people, the menagerie closed and the Duke of Wellington ordered the animals be taken to London Zoo.
   

My best guess at answering my own question is that Eli, and children of that era, learned about the zoo during a history lesson.

Meet Racine Weston from No Luck At All

Since I’m not releasing a novel or short story this year, I thought I’d introduce you to Racine Weston, my heroine from No Luck At All. Racine is very sweet-natured and my easiest heroine to write. Once she opened her mouth, she took over the story. In her own words, find out more about her:

Hello. I'm Racine, the youngest daughter of wealthy and respected Boston doctor, Donald Somerfield, and his socialite wife, Katherine. Mama hated me from the moment I was born. She had it in her mind that Papa wanted a son, and when I came out a fourth daughter, she blamed me for that mishap. She swore she would not jeopardize her figure and looks again to bear papa another child, moved into her own bedroom, and handed me and my care over to the servants.

My toddler years, I found it unbearable to not have Mama's love and acceptance. My sisters, Valeen, Victoria and Valerie did. Mama would fuss over them, take them shopping and plan parties for them. She did none of that with me, which made me try all sorts of ways to gain her approval, none of which worked. I only earned her 'rolling' of the eyes, a stern lecture on how I was disobedient and very unladylike, and words of how no one would ever like me. I was unlovable.

I found that last part hard to believe. Papa loved me and spent as much time with me as his doctor duties allowed. Even the servants seemed to enjoy my company. Then one day, on a whim to make mama happy, I went to her flower garden to pick her some flowers. A stray dog leapt out from under the bushes and attacked me. His paw clawed my cheek and Papa had to stitch three deep cuts. When the bandages were removed, I had three long, red, ugly scars. Papa swore they would fade in time, But I knew that wasn't true. Every year, they got bigger, more noticeable--this was proven when I overheard my sisters beg Mama to keep me hidden from their friends. They said I was hideous and would scare away the other girls.

After that, I took to spending a lot of time in my room, alone. The maids took pity on me and taught me how to sew. Sophie, our cook, taught me how to prepare delicious meals. My skills flourished under their guidance. Even Papa was impressed with the curtains I sewed for his den.

The years passed and I reached an age where Papa insisted I attend the dinner parties he held for his interns. I wanted nothing to do with socializing and retreated to my room on those occasions. One night, Papa ordered me to attend a dinner. Grudgingly, I did, and kept to the shadows most of the evening until one man asked me to dance. I wanted to decline his offer, but his warm smile drew me to him as his hand drew me out of the corner. I'm thankful I didn't refuse him, for that night I met and fell in love with the most handsome, heavily muscled, kind hearted man to ever exist―Creel Weston.

Creel courted me relentlessly. He took me to the park, to dinner, and for strolls around Mama's flower gardens. He told me he loved me and wanted me to marry him. Part of me believed him. The other part was unsure, until he stood beside me at the altar, said his vows, and gave me a ring. I've never been so happy, and then that happiness disappeared as before my eyes Creel went from warm and caring to a cad on the eve of our wedding.

I don't know what brought about the change in him, but I have a good idea. Somehow, he came to the conclusion he can’t bear looking at me and my hideous scars for the rest of his life. Though he'd never once commented on them, I gathered the preacher joining us together for all eternity sparked feelings in him he never knew existed. I can’t blame him―I am ugly. But I can hope for some semblance of comfort and accord between us. I thought I had found that after Creel and I hashed out some misunderstandings. But now, an old friend from Creel's childhood claims he loves her. After replaying some events over and over in my mind, and pitting Amy's beauty and refinement against my scars and lack of elegance, I fear she is right in that Creel loves her and not me.

No Luck At All is the 3^rd book in the Weston Family series and available for purchase at Amazon:

www.amazon.com/dp/B0064R6NVI

Weston Family Series:

Luck of the Draw  www.amazon.com/dp/B0063VOS4E

Lady Luck  www.amazon.com/dp/B0063WCXO0

Bring Me Luck  www.amazon.com/dp/B00OP5PT2U